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In vitro fertilization is a technique for conception of a human embryo outside the mother's body. The process begins with the woman taking fertility drugs to increase the number of eggs that are released at ovulation. In IVF, a female egg is fertilized with a sperm solution and returned to the uterus through the cervix. Several, or eggs, are removed from the mother's body and placed in special laboratory culture dishes and then the sperm from the father are then added. If fertilization occurs, a fertilized ovum, is either transferred to the mother's or a surrogate mother's body for normal development in the uterus. Eggs can also now be frozen and fertilized later. This technique was first developed by Drs. Patrick C. Steptoe and Robert G. Edwards of Great Britain. This was where the first "test-tube baby" was born under their care in 1978. the technique was invented for use in cases of infertility caused by the damage of the woman's fallopian tubes or the man's low sperm count.
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